lewis



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

N. 0. LEWIS.

WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

No. 328,237. Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

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(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

N. 0. LEWIS.

WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

Patented Oct. 13, 1885.

(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3. N. C. LEWIS.

WIRE NAIL MACHINE.

Patented 001:. 13, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

NATHAN C. LEWIS, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CLINTON LOVELL,OF SAME PLACE.

WIRE-NAIL MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 328,237, dated October13, 1885.

7 Application filed August 25, 1884. Serial No. 141,420. (No model.)

' an improved machine for rapidly forming small nails or tacks fromwire; and it consists in the improved mechanism hereinafter describedand claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure 1 represents a side elevation of my improved machine. Fig. 2represents a top view. Figs. 3 and 4 represent end elevations. Fig. 5represents an enlarged section on line n 3 Fig. 1. Fig. 6 represents asection on line 22, Fig. 5. Fig.

7 represents an end View of the parts shown in Fig. 6.

The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in all thefigures.

In the drawings, a represents the supporting-frame, at one end of whichis journaled the driving'shaft b.

0 represents a lever pivoted at one end at d to the frame a, and havingat its opposite end a slot which receives a slide, e, swiveled on acrank, f, on the driving-shaft, the lever c being therefore oscillatedby the rotation of said shaft.

g represent two cylinders secured to parallel arbors h h, which aremounted in bearings in the frame a. Said cylinders are provided withlongitudinal sockets or recesses t in their peripheries, and in saidsockets are placed blocks k, which are adapted to turn Each block 70 hasin loosely in the sockets. cross-section the form of a cylinder cut awayat one side to form a flat surface. The sock- .ets i are correspondinglyformed-that is to is a half-die, Z, formed to co-operate with a likehalf-die on a block in the other cylinder in severing a length of wireand forming pyramidal points on the ends of the parts into which thewire is severed.

The cylinders g g are rotated positively step by step, by meanshereinafter described, and at each step the flat faces of two blocks,one in each cylinder, are brought together, so that the half-dies onsaid blocks are caused to meet and sever and point a piece of wireinterposed between them.

The blocks is, as before stated, are adapted to turn in their sockets,so that when the dies I meet they remain momentarily in contact entirelyacross the flat faces of the blocks is, the blocks turning in theirsockets to permit such contact. The effect of the dies Z Z on the wireis therefore the same as if the dies moved toward each other in oppositedirec- 7o tionsin cutting the wire.

It will be seen that if the dies were rigidly attached to the cylindersthey could not have the flat acting faces nor the extended contact abovedescribed, and therefore would not act so efficiently on the wire.

The wire from which the nails are formed is fed from a reel to a pointover the center of the cylinder 9, and is received between pins 'n n onthe blocks is of said cylinder.

The feeding mechanism is composed of a slide, 0, adapted to reciprocateon the arbor of the cylinderg, and adapted to grasp the wire when theslide is moved inwardly, the wire passing through an orifice in theslide. 85

The slide is recip'rocated by means of a rockshaft, q, journaled inbearings on the frame a, and provided at one end with an arm, r, havinga gear-segment meshing with a rack on the slide 0, (see Fig. 3,) and atthe other endwith an arm, 8, having a gear-segment meshing with a rackon a vertical slide, f, which is adapted to move in guides u a on oneside of the frame a. The slide f is connected by a pitman, o, with acrank, 10, on the driving-shaft I), the rotation of said shaftreciprocating the slide f, and causing the latter to oscillate therock-shaft g,which in turn reciprocates the feeding-slide. The length ofthe feed movement is determined by an adjustable 100 wrist-pin, w, whichconnects the pitman' o with the crank w and enables the throw of thepitman to be regulated. The feed movement is equal to the length of twoof the nails to be prodnced,and after each feed movement a section ofwire of the length above indicated is severed from the continuous wireby a cutter, a, Fig. 1, affixed to the shorter arm of a lever, b, whichis pivoted at 0 to the frame a, and bears at the end of its longer armon a spurwheel, (1, the arbor e of which is mounted in bearings on thesupporting-frame. Said spurwheel is rotated step by step by means of anarm, f, mounted loosely on the arbor e, and provided with a dog, g,engaging the teeth of a ratchet-wheel, h, secured to said arbor. Thearmf is connected by a rod, 2', to the lever c, and is thereforeoscillated by said lever and caused to rotate the spur-wheelintermittingly. The rotation of the spur whrel causes the lever b tooscillate. The downward movements of its shorter arm cause the cutter aaffixed thereto to co-operate with a suitable fixed cutter, and severthe wire after a suitable length of it has been fed between the pins nn. The cylinders g g are rotated step by step by means of aratchet-wheel, jj, affixed to their arbors, and two levers, is, pivotedto a slide, Z, Fig. 1,which is adapted to move between the verticalguides on the frame a, and is connected by a rod, m,with the lever 0,whereby said slide is reciprocated. The levers It In have projections 7070 at their upper ends, which are formed to engagewith the teeth of theratchet j when the slide Z is moving downwardly, and simultaneouslyrotate the cylinders g g in opposite directions. The movement thusimparted to the cylinders is sufficient to bring two of the dies Z Zinto contact and cause them to cut and point the length of wire held bythe pins n n of one of the dies Z. When the slide Z stops at the end ofits downward movement, the projections k k bear against the teeth of theratchets jj, so as to prevent said ratchets from moving after the slidehas stopped. The cylinders are thus positively held after each movement,the pins n n of the highest block 70 in the cylinder 9 being in positionto receive the wire when the cylinders stop. While the wire is clampedbetween the blocks 7c in and their dies Z 1, two headers or hammers, pp,move simultaneously against and upset the opposite ends of the wireagainst the ends of the blocks k k,which act as anvils for this purpose.(See Fig. 5'.) The headers 19 p are secured to the upper ends of leversq (1, Fig. 4, which are pivoted to the frame of the machine at r r, andare connected at their lower ends by toggle-joint links or members 8 s,with an adjustable rod, t, which is suspended from the lever c. Theoscillations of the lever c are thus caused to oscillate the levers qq,and cause the headers 12 p to alternately approach and recede from theends af the blocks 76 k.

The operation as a whole is as follows: The

wire is first fed forward between the pins of the highest block 70 inthe cylinder 9. The cutter a then severs the wire to admit the nextlength fed forward. \Vhile the cutter is rising and the feeding slide ismoving backward, the cylinders g g are rotated one step, carrying thelast severed length of wire toward the meeting-point, and bringing twoblocks 70 is together at said meeting-point, one of said blocks having alength of wire between its pins n n. WVhen the cylinders stop, thefeedslide moves the wire forward, and at the same time the headers act,on the ends of the wire held by the meeting blocks and dies. The cuttera again acts, and thus the operation is continued, two complete nailsbeing formed at every step or movement of the cylinders g g. In thepresent instance each cylinder has eight blocks, hence sixteen nailswill be formed by each complete rotation of the cylinders.

The blocks k on the cylinders g have recesses a to receive the pins n onthe blocks of the cylinder 9, as shown in Fig. 5, and by dotted lines inFigs. 6 and '7.

It is obvious that the details of construction of the operatingmechanism above described may be variously modified without departingfrom the spirit of my invention.

The arbors h h of the cylinders g g are mounted in boxes a a which arelaterally adjustable in slots in the frame a, and are backed byscrews 1) b whereby the boxes and the cylinders g g may be adjustedrelatively to each other. (See Fig. 5.)

I claim 1. In a wire-nail machine, the socketed cylinders g g, theblocks 70 7c, swiveled in the sockets of the cylinders, said blocksbeing flat on their outer surfaces and provided with dies, combined withmechanism for rotating said cylinders step by step, as set forth.

2. In a wire-nail machine, the combination of the socketed cylinders ghaving the swiveled blocks, formed as described, and pro vided withdies, mechanism for rotating said cylinders step by step, and mechanismfor supplying lengths of wire to the cylinders, as set forth.

3. In a wirenail machine, the combination of the socketed cylinders ghaving the swiveled blocks is 70, formed as described, and provided withdies, mechanism for rotating said cylinders step by step, mechanism forsupplying lengths of wire to the cylinders, and two headers andoperating mechanism therefor, substantially as described, whereby saidheaders are caused to upset the ends of the wire held by two of theblocks 7c k, as set forth.

4. The combination of the cylinders 5 having swiveled dieblocks providedwith pins or holders n a, and the cylinder 9, having correspondingdie-blocks,with recesses u to receive the pins a, as set forth.

5. In a wire-nail machine, a rotary dieholder provided with a series ofdies on its IIC perimeter, each formed to partially sever and point ablank of wire centrally, and holders accompanying each die, wherebynailblanks may be held in operative relation to said dies, combined withmechanism, substantially as described, for rotating said holder step bystep and thereby bringing each die and the accompanying blanksuccessively to a given point, and a die co-operating with each die inthe rotary holder at said given point, whereby the blanks aresuccessively severed and pointed, as set forth.

6. In a wire-nail machine, a rotary dieholder provided with a series ofdies on its perimeter and holders accompanying each die, combined withmechanism, substantially as described, for rotating said holder step bystep and thereby bringing each die and the NATHAN O. LEWIS.

Witnesses:

G. F. BROWN, H. BROWN.

